Selhurst Park will not be hosting Europa League football next season as things stand
The long-awaited decision from the First Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) finally arrived on Friday afternoon in the aftermath of Lyon’s relegation to Ligue 2 for financial reasons being overturned on appeal in France on Wednesday.
Nottingham Forest are now expected to join Lyon and be promoted to Europe’s secondary club competition for the 2025/26 campaign instead, pending an option to appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which Palace are expected to take up.
"On 9 July 2025, the appeal instance of the French financial control authority (DNCG) decided not to relegate Olympique Lyonnais to Ligue 2,” the CFCB First Chamber said in a statement.
“Consequently, and following an assessment by the CFCB of all the other relevant conditions included in the settlement agreement, Olympique Lyonnais will not be excluded from the 2025/26 UEFA club competitions.
"Consequently, the CFCB First Chamber pursued the assessment of the documentation submitted by Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace and concluded that the clubs breached, as at 1 March 2025, the multi-club ownership criteria foreseen in Art 5.01 of the UEFA Club Competition Regulations.
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"For this reason, and in accordance with the provisions set in Art. 5.02, 5.03 and 5.04 of the UEFA Club Competitions Regulations, the CFCB First Chamber decided:
"To accept Olympique Lyonnais’ admission to the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League; and To reject Crystal Palace’s admission to the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League and to accept Crystal Palace’s admission to the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League."